Needle and the like



June 19, 1928. M 1,674,508

S. W. FINCH NEEDLE AND THE LIKE Filed 001;. 6, 1927 as may be necessary to Patented June 19, 1928.

' UNITED STATES STANLEY W. FINCH, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OI COLUIBIL NEEDLE AND r111: 12m.

Application filed October 6, 1927. Serial lid-484,479.

This invention relates to needles, and

more particularly a needle adapted for repairing runs or rav'elings in stockings and other knitted fabrics.

Needles now. in use for such purposes ordinarily have a body member with a hook formed at one end and a latch member ivoted'to the body member, the free en of the latch member being adapted to fly up and down as "the needle is moved forward and backward through the fabric being repaired, thus opening and-closing the hook perform the repair work. The problem with such needles is to cause the free end of the latch to be raised quickly during the downward movement of the hook member, so that the pointof the latch will not catch in the fabric and delay the operation or injure the fabric.

My needle. has no pivoted member and consequently does not encounter the difiiculty above pointed out. My needle has an elongated body member, at one end of which a hook is formed, said body member also having a longitudinally disposed opening in which a latch member slides back and forth for the purpose of opening and closing the hook. There are also suitable means for limiting the distance through which the sliding member can move in longitudinal direction away from the hook and also means to prevent or limit the amount of the turning motion of the sliding member.

One of the numerous advantages of this new type of needle is its cheapness and simplicity of construction. Another advantage is the fact that, by reason of its compact construction, it is necessary to move the needle only a relatively short distance backward and forward through the fabric in order to reknit or crochet the rungs of the ladder constituting the runner portion of the stocking and thus make the repair, whereas, with pivoted-latch needles heretofore used, a much longer movement of the needle is necessary to accomplish this purpose. This shorter movement of my needle results in greater speed and ease of opera tion than has heretofore been possible.

My needle also has the advantage, (because of its simplicity of construction and the absence of the awkward swinging latch of the old type of needle) of being practically free from the possibility of damage during its operation and also while it is lying around ina shop when not in use.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. '1 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of my needle in its preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the body member of the needle.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the sliding latch member of the needle.

Fig. 5'is a perspective view of the beveled end portion of the sliding latch.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of a somewhat modified form of the needle.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of such modified form.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of fabric containing a run or raveling of the kind for the reknitting or crocheting of which my'needle is primarily designed.

. 9 shows the rear portion of the needle with modified means for regulating the movement of the slideable member.

The preferred form of my needle consists of but two units, the body member 1 and the sliding latch member 2. The needle in this form includes a tube, and a rod adapted to fit slideably in said tube. To form the sliding latch member one end of the rod is beveled as at 3, and a notch 4 is made adjacent the beveled portion 3. Opening 5 i is then formed in the upper portion of the face of the oval made by the beveling operation. The opposite end of the sliding latch member is ground or otherwise cut'to form the opposing fiat surfaces 6, 6.

To form the body member one end of the tube employed for this purpose is cut away on its upper side so as to make a shoulder 7 a fiat approximately half-round open channel portion 8, and a needle-like portion which is subsequently bent to form a book 10, the point of such hook being positioned so as to fit into the opening 5 of the sliding latch member when such member is moved into position to close the open end'of the hook. When the body member and latch member have been assembled, the rear end of the body member is preferably 'closed as at 11. (This is easily accomplished by cutting off the tube at the proper point with a pair of cutting pliers) thus delimiting the sliding movement of the shuttle member away from the hook. Small sections of the opposite sides of the body member adjacent such closed end are then forced inwardl (preferably with a pair of cutting pliers? any objectionable turning movement of the latch member but permitting the latch to slide freely longitudinally within fixed limits.

The needle, when properly assembled, functions in the following manner. The fabric to be repaired is first laced under a slight'tension. The h9g1: en of the needle is then forced into the fabric at 20,'just back of one of the last loops of the run or raveling and the tension on the fabric is then increased. As the needle is pushed downwardly the 100 21 slips up over the hook.-

and also over t e top of the beveled portion 3 until said loop rests in'the notch 4 and closes over the two members of the needle at that point. At the same time the thread 22 'straightens out to form part of the run.

Projection or abrupt shoulder 16 prevents the loop 21 from sliding rearwardly on the latch member beyond the notch 4 and, as said loop contacts this part. of the latch member while the needle is being pushed downwardly through the fabric, the latch member is causedto slide back away from the point of the hook until the end 17 of the flattened portion 13 contacts the inner side of the closed end 11. At this stage of the operation of the needle the pint of the hook 10 will be below and eyond the straightened cross thread 22, and, as the upward movement of the needle starts, the hook 10 picks up the thread 22,-and the loop 21 (which lies in the notch 4) forces the latch member downwardly so that the point of the hook enters the opening 5 and closes the hook. The loop 21, lying in the notch 4, then slides downwardly over the top-of the beveled portion 3 and over the hook 10, leaving the thread 22 in the hook portion to form a new loop. The downward and upward movements of the needle are then repeated; On each such downward movement, the loop lying in the hook slips up over the beveled portion 3 into the notch 4 and opens "the hook as the point of the hook passes below the next adjacent cross thread; and on each upward movement of the needle the hook grasps the adjacent cross thread, and loo lying in said notch closes the hook and sli es over the top of the beveled face 3 and the hook 10, leaving the cross thread in the hook to form a new loop, Thus each thread of the ladder constituting the run is successively picked up by the hook and formed by the needle into a new loop as the needle proceeds along the ladder to the end of the run.

A tacking operation with an ordinary needle and thread is then resorted to, such needle and thread being used to fasten or tie the last loop (brought to this point by the repairing needle herein described) so as to prevent a recurrence of the-run. Those skilled in the art of repairing such fabrics are familiar .with the so-called tackingv operation and in many instances are able to close the original break in the fabric in such 1 manner as to constitute a substantially in.-

visible repair, It is therefore unnecessary notto do this tacking work, (which can best be done by employment of an ordinary sewing needle and thread) but to repair the run, however long or wide it may be.

While my needle is preferably made in the manner above stated, itmay also be made in a variety of forms one of which is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein 23 is the body mem-' ber having a hook 24 at one end. There is also a longitudinal channel or groove 25 in said body member in which channel or groove the latch member 26 lies, being held in place by rivets 27, 27 which extend through slots 28, 28, thus providing for a limited longitudinal sliding movement of the latch member so that it may open and close the hook at proper times as herein explained. helatch member 26 also has a beveled portion 29, with an opening in such beveled portion to admit the point of the needle. There is also the notch 30 and a projection or abrupt shoulder 31, both of which function similarly to corresponding features of the preferred form of my needle as herein shown and-described.

The rear end of my needle may be encompassed by a suitable handle 32, or' the needle may be operated without any separate handle member by holding the body of the needle in the hand.

In operation it is preferred to hold the needle inlateral alignment with the run being repaired, the rear portion of the needle being elevated so that the needle will form an angle with the fabric undergoing repair, such angle being increased slightly when the fabric being repaired has an increased number of cross-threads per inch and decreased slightly when the fabric being repaired has a decreased number of crossthreads per inch.- In other words the greater the number of cross-threads per inch inthe fabric to be repaired the greater the Hill angle which should be maintained between the needle and the fabric in which it is used. The needle may, however, be operated satisfactorily when it is heldslightly out of such lateral alignment with the run.

While means for limiting the sliding movement of the latch and preventing it from turning are preferably integral features of the body member, these functions ma be accomplished by various other means suc as the slots-and rivets shown in Fi s. 6 and 7, and also by the means illustrate in Fig. 9, wherein 33 is the rear portion of the body half-round portion.

beveled face 3 of the like, it is member of a needle and 35 is the latch memher, the rear end of such latch member being made substantially half-round. 34 is a closure member which fits tightly into the body member and which also has a substantially By means of these halfround portions of 34 and 35, which overlap as indicated, it is obvious that the latch member (which is slideably fitted into 33 whereas 34 is tightly secured therein) can slide longitudinally within predetermined limits, as indicated by s aces 36 and 37, but is restrained from any 0 ectionable turning movement, thus keeping t e opening 5 in the latch member in position to receive the point of the hook whenever the latch member contacts the hook.

The word channel, as herein used, is to be understood to mean any opening in the body member wherein the latch may slide as it moves back and forth longitudinally of the body member for the purpose stated.

The term .latch or sliding latch as herein used, is to be understood as meaning any type of rod, plate or device adapted to slide back and forth along the body member for the purpose stated.

It is to be noted that in the preferred form of the completed needle as shown in Fi 's. 1 and 2 point 38 of latch member 1 lies at all times below the upper edges, 8 of the substantially half-round or open channel portion 8. This is necessary in order that a looplying in the hook 10 may move upwardly over the beveled surface 3 and into the notch 4- without catching under said point 38.

One of the most important features of my needle is the sliding latch member. In order that a needle of the sliding latch type may operate rapidly and without serious eyestrain on the part of the user in the repairing of runs and ravellings in hosiery and the necessary that the needle shall be automatically checkedat the proper point during the descending movement of the needle through the fabric and that the hook portion of the needle shall be automatically opened and closed at exactly the right instants during the downward and upward movement of the needle, otherwise the needle will not function properly. If the latch. closes the hook too quickly, the hook will fail to pick up the proper thread and, if the latch closes the hook too slowly, the descending loop will slip into thehook instead of sliding over it. My needle has means especially adapted to overcome these difliculties, the contour of the upper surface of the latch including a transverse notch, the front side of which inclines gradually upwardly in the direction of the hook and the rear side of which constitutes an abrupt shoulder, such shoulder serving to prevent the thread or loop lying in the notch from sliding rearpreventing the thread in the ascendin wardly out of such notch and the front side of the notch with its gradual upward slope makin egress from ,the.;notch in the direction .0 the hook relatively easy? This construction of the notch serves the purpose of notch from S1 ping over the late to a point above the note durin thedownward movement of the needle an thus causing the latch to close prematurely during the succeeding upward movement of the needle; it also serves the purpose of automatically check-' ing the downward movement of the needle at a point where the hook lies close below the first cross-thread of the run so that such loop or thread l ing in the cross-thread will be automatically picked,

up by the hook when the upward movement of the needle starts. In other words, by reason of the particular conformation of the u per surface of the latch as herein descri ed and particularly the notch portion backward and forward movements of the latch with reference to the hook are automatically timed so as to open and close the hook at the exact instants necessary in order v to inclose within the hook the thread picked up b the hook at the beginning of the upwar movement of the needle and to permit the descending loop to slide downwardly over the hook from its position in the notched portion of the latch so that the crosshook will form a new loop as herein state and, as the downwardand upward movements of the needle through the fabric are repeated, the run or ravelling is repaired by the needle in a substantially automatic manner.

The close-proximit beveled front end 0 special importance since, if the notch were more remote from the beveled front end of the latch, the hook would be apt to-pick up the wrong cross-thread and the openmg and closing of the latch would be wrongly timed, thus interfering with the proper function ing of the needle as a means of automatically repairing runs and ravelings in hosiery and substantially equivalent to a rlght angle with I to receive the point of the hook,

thedirection of the movement of the latch in said needle. I

2.- A needle comprising a handle portion and an'operatively connected hook portion, and a; sliding latch portion having in its upper surface a transverse notch adapted for the reception of a-thread whereby the latch may be moved to open and closed positions with reference to the hook, the side of the notch ad'acent said hook forming a materiall less a rupt shoulder than the opposite si e of said notch whereby a thread ying in said notch is restrained from sliding out of said notch in a direction away from the hook but is permitted to slide relatively easily out of said notch in a direction toward sai hook.

3. A needle comprising a channeled member having at one end thereof ahook and at the other end a handle-portion, and a sliding latch member adapted to lie in said channel,

the forward end of said latch member having an upwardly and rearwardly extendin beveled face with an opening therein adapted said latch also having a transverse notch in its outersurface saidnotch being adapted to receive a thread whereby the latch may be moved back and forth in said channel to open and close said hook, the upper end of one side of the notch and the upper end of the beveled facebeing contiguous.

4. A needle comprising a channeled-member having at one end thereof a hook and as having adjacent the other end a handle porto be moved by a thread back and adapted tion, and a sliding latch member forth in downwardly and rearwardly and then extending u wardly in a direction substantially equlva ent to a right angle with the di-" rectlon shoulder being adapted to act as a barrier against the movement of a thread along the upper surface of said latch rearwardly over said shoulder.

5. In a needle a handle portion and an operatively connected tube portion and a hook, and a slidin to be moved by a t read back and forth in said tube portion to open and close said hook, said latch member having on one side thereof adjacent its rear end a depression with a longitudinally disposed flat surface adapted to coact with the adjacent ortion ofthe needle to restrain Within fixed imits both the turning' movement and the endwise movement of the latch in said tube ortion.

. 6. In a sliding late for needles and the like a beveled face extending upwardly and" rearwardly from the front end thereof, such of the movement of the latch in theneedle .to form an abrupt shoulder, said latch member adapted beveled face having an opening therein, the

latch also having in its upper surface a transverse notch, the upper end of one side ofthe notch and the upper end of the beveled face being contiguous.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

STANLEY w. FINCH. 

